In which Peter is a fish
by Dinkdidnothingwrong
Summary: Peter and his siblings have inhuman ablilities. They are sent off to a Boarding school called Fleethouse, where they pulled into bunkhouse competions, prefect drama, and Valentine learning that she seriously needs to take some time for herself. But then Alliches returns after being thought dead, and the rivarly between Rat and Phoenix takes on new meaning. {Now Valentine centric}
1. Shark boy

"You are here, because you can do things that the rest of humanity cannot." Peter yawned. This silly orientation video hadn't been playing for more than 5 seconds, and he was already bored. He knew why he was here. The fins on either side of his head, covered by a mop of blond hair, had told him from day one that he wasn't 'like' everyone else. Besides, despite the gills and scales and barely noticeable dorsal fin Peter had managed to amass what he considered a small army of loyal friends back home. The only reason he was here was his siblings. Ender's powers were so volatile that he already had a body count even before the military tried to steal him, and Valentine simply couldn't get a proper education in witchery back home, so why not send the first inhuman kid who had been managing his fishy qualities fine along too? Peter looked over at Ender and Valentine. They seemed no more rapt with the video than him, but saw it as a decent enough distraction to keep watching. "So good luck, and remember, the secrecy of our home is in your hands now. No one can know where you are." The video ended, and a built but friendly man entered the room. "Sorry about the hostility at the end there, the Colonel can be a bit...intense about that last rule. Dap." He extended a hand, and while Ender and Valentine took it, Peter just ignored Dap. "Alright, not the most excitable camper I see. Well, listen up. I don't do much in the way of explaining how life here works, why else would we keep in the prefects around, but I do give out bunkhouse assignments. Now, the first bunkhouse you're put in most likely won't be your last. It can take us a few times before we figure out where you're supposed to be, so don't get too attached. " Peter grunted. Isn't this place supposed to be the best in caring for inhumans? How good really were they if they couldn't even put the kid into the right house when they got there?

"Valentine, you're in Rat. Rosen's the prefect there, but it's the middle of the day so you'll probably have to wake him up."

"Ender, Graff wanted to put you in Dragon, but the rest of us have decided that you'll be better suited in Phoenix for now. Petra's in class right now but I'm sure one of the other boys will explain things somewhat."

"Peter, Bonzo waiting outside, I wrangled him down as he was coming back from midday classes, so he'll take you over to Salamander."

Peter sighed. He didn't want to go with some 'Bonzo' kid to the 'Salamander bunkhouse' he wanted to go home. Yet another year of getting roped into whatever bull his siblings had gotten themselves into. He slipped off his chair, and headed for the visitor center door. A short boy with a scrunched up nose and fittingly haughty demeanor leaned against the front door.

"You fish boy?"

"You Spanish Douche snozzle number #413?"

Bonzo just grinned and walked off towards the bunkhouse. Peter had a feelings that they were going to become fast friends.


	2. He's back

Valentine arrived at the Rat bunkhouse after about 20 minutes of wandering around campus. Sure enough, as Dap had predicted, Rose was fast asleep in a pile of blankets and pillows surrounded by the other bunkies. Valentine cringed. The house was a mess, smelled like something was burning constantly, and she was pretty sure Rose was naked under his sheet.

"Rose?" She said quietly.

The boy jolted upwards, and Valentine covered her eyes.

"Who the hell are you? And um, I've got pants on so…"

She lowered her hands slowly. Rose was indeed wearing shorts. "I'm Valentine. Valentine Wiggin. I'm supposed to be in your Bunkhouse, Dap told me you were the prefect."

"Oh! Alright, everybody up, 'bout time for the evening to start anyway. YO BITCHES WE GOT A NEWBIE!" Rose shouted, his voice echoing off the impressive amount off metalworking on the staircases and banisters.

If was almost as if Rose had rung some kind of dinner bell. Sleepy kids of all ages staggered up and down stairs, out of basements, emerged from the blanket pile, and assembled in the living room. They all seemed share the same black-red-brown color combination on all their clothing, but more uniform like outfits she had seen while passing by other bunkhouses didn't appear in Rat. In fact, the more Valentine saw of the Rat children, the more she began to wonder kind of wackjob bunkhouse she had been put in. Attire ranged anywhere from a t-shirt and sweats to full forging gear. Rose took a short head count, then ran across the room and yelled into a stairway.

"Dink! You heard me, we got a Newbie!"  
"Fine, fine, I'm coming!" Yelled something hoarsely.

A tall, broad set boy in a maroon cloak and black jeans ascended the stairs. Not soon after him, another boy with pale skin and a large rat came up as well.

"There you are Zeck. Was going to look for you in garden, but don't have do that now. Anyway, this Valentine Wiggin, the newest dumbass to grace this crack house." Rose gestured towards the pale boy.

A flurry of cheers and scattered chants rose up, but Rose raised his hands to silence them.

"Welcome to Rat, Val. Can I call you Val? Whatever that's what I'm calling you now. I'm Rosen, or Rose The Nose as they used to call me over in Phoenix. I'm a curly haired Jewish bitch with an axe to grind with the birdbrains across the lawn, so as long as you're here Phoenix is off-limits, got it?"

Valentine nodded. Though, Dap did say Ender was being put in Phoenix for now, so she hoped Rose didn't enforce that rule as much as he probably could.

"Good. Few things you should probably know. One! This bunk is not the honors or gifted group, Val. Its made up of every stupid kid Graff wished he had never taken on but doesn't have return addresses for. So if you're here, your either a emotional mess, a fucking maniac, or you're in the wrong place. Two! Rat has a specifically nocturnal schedule, which means most of your classes are going to be in the middle of the night, so get used to napping at like 2 p.m. Three! There are no uniforms. I don't give a shit if most of the other bunkhouse have their kids in the same pair of slacks and button up everyday, wear what makes you comfortable or keeps the forge downstairs from burning your fingers. Four! Bunking is decided by what you can do, as watching Zeck run halfway across the house to get to the forge every morning got boring after a while. What can you do Val?"

Valentine's breath hitched. Rose was obliviously expecting so kind of demonstration of what she could do, but Val was extremely unexperienced, as she had little no education in the magic she possessed. Every eye was on her, and Rose cocked his head to the side.

"Well, I'm pretty bad at my powers, but…" Val trailed off. The only spell she knew how to do had been forbidden by her parents, but maybe she could perform it here. She was here to learn about her powers, so why not try it out? Besides, it had been years, and she had a better grip on magic. "I do know how to do this!" Val reached her palms out, let a small red and glowing ball form between them, and then tried to remember the words to the spell. What was it again, something like…

"Amicus deos credi regens iuventute virtutis adolescentem scire!" Val chanted. The ball slowly changed shape, growing legs, arms, a hairless tail, and a whiskered muzzle. She twisted her hands to the right and the familiar solidified, a large rat with glowing eyes and brown fur landing in her hands. Her eyes widened. It was the same animal she had attempted to summon in her kitchen all those years ago, and judging by the way it nuzzled her, it remembered her as well. "I can summon a familiar, and I seem to have a grasp on general witchery, so…yeah!" Val looked up and realized that everyone in the room was staring at her, dumbfounded. "Holy Shit." Rose whispered. She felt her heart beat in her chest. She honestly couldn't tell if everyone was mad at her, or amazed at what she had just done. "Even the girl's familiar's a fucking Rat!" The living room erupted in yells, most in praise of Val.

"How the fuck did you even do that?"  
"Freaking sick, sister!"

"Can you teach me how to do that?"  
Val blushed, and Rose slung an arm around her shoulders. He pulled out a blank key card with simply "Room 498, Little Miss Witch. Right next to Zeck, the forge, and the potions room." Val grabbed the card excitedly. "Thought you'd like that." He took her finger and pushed it into the faceless portrait spot on the card. Her most recent school photo and general student information appeared. She pushed Rose's arm off and ran to check out her room.

"She's real powerful Rose, you sure you can handle her?"

"Oh eat a few Dink, she'll be happy here."

Dink sighed. "Just like Mick."


	3. Ghosts and obsucure characters

"Our day really begins with dinner. No real seating arrangement, but we do have a table if you need a place to sit." Rose sauntered over to the other side of the mess hall, and Valentine turned back towards the table in the middle of the room. Ender and Peter had dragged their prefects along with them to where they were sitting, and somehow were already in an argument despite dinner having starting about 2 minutes ago. Valentine sighed. She was tired of her brothers. Sure, she loved them, almost all sisters loved their brothers no matter what they did, they were family after all. Yet, the constant and endless bickering was really starting to take its toll on Val. Val snuck to the table in the left corner of the mess hall. The lights above were lanterns instead of electrical lights, and metal working replaced the marble that was present in the rest of room. Val sat down, picking at her food and occasionally doodling in her notebook, trying to make it seem as if she was working on something. If she didn't drawn attention to red-headed new girl in colors that fit the worst army in the entire camp, than people wouldn't see her as such. Val looked over to try and figure out what kind of meat was being served today when she noticed a much larger boy, also dressed in Rat colors sitting next to her. He didn't have a tray of food, but instead ate a simple red apple. "Um, hello?" The boy looked over and began to choke on his apple. "Oh jeez, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you so much, am I in your seat?" She patted the stranger on the back. He shook his head, and after coughing once more he spoke.

"No, no, you're fine. Just reminded me of someone else. Don't get a lot of other kids at this table in the first place, gave me a heart attack there." He croaked, chuckling nervously. "So hey, um, what are you doing over anyway." Val pointed towards her brothers, who had roped in their prefects into the argument as well and were probably starting a rivalry between Salamander and Phoenix. "Ouch, that's rough sister. It been like that all your life?"

"Yeah." He nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if your real families no good, I'm sure old Rosey 'ill make you a new one. Little Miss Study and Preacher Boy Zeck would make a good team, eh?" Val snorted and pushed her notebook covered in drawings of her familiar towards him. "Okay, maybe not."

"Hey…if you're a Rat kid, why didn't I see you during crowd while summoned that little monster?"

The boy froze and looked off into the distance. "Val, can I tell you something?" She nodded uneasily. "I'm…not really still supposed to be here. Rose doesn't know I'm here, and neither does Graff. That old birdbrain Achilles thought he got rid of me, but I don't die that easily. Like a fart in the air conditioning, ya know?" Val just sat there, confused.

"What do you mean you're not supposed to be here? Graff knows about everyone, first of all, and even if he didn't know, showing up in the middle of the cafeteria in the only part that different from the rest of it isn't exactly the best plan. Second, Rose is exactly the kind of guy to hide a kid from the teachers. Have you even seen Rat army?"

"Look, Val, I made some choices in front of Rose that made his perception of me really negative, and besides, Achilles doesn't like it when I leave my designated corner an-"

"Okay, wait, who the hell is Achilles? You make it sound like he's the Phoenix prefect, but that's Petra, and what's with the whole 'designated corner' thing. And I never told you my name-how do you know that either?!"

"Heard it around?"

"Mick, no ones said my name since dinner starte-" Valentine stopped. How did she know Mick's name? The more she thought about it, Mick seemed to know a lot of things he shouldn't of. His knowledge of Rat army she thought was from him living there, but obviously Rose didn't like him and he apparently couldn't leave this corner because of what she assumed was a former Phoenix prefect, but prefects kept their positions till they left Fleethouse. In fact, the more she stared at Mick, the more almost translucent he became.

"Ya know Mick, you seem alright but I think sitting over here was a mistake, I'm gonna head over to the Rat table." Mick caught her arm as she went to stand up. She pulled and walked around to the other side of the table, but he refused to let go. "Mick, let go of me!"  
"Rose can't know I'm back, Val. Promise me you wont tell Rosey about me?"  
"I'm not promising you anything you fucking weirdo!"  
"Then you're not going anywhere darling. Either promise me Rose is out of the loop or you stay right here the rest of the night."

Val grabbed her notebook from the other side of the table, and swung hard at Mick's face. The notebook collided with his right cheek flawlessly and he fell backwards. He disappeared below the table for a second, and Val leaned over to see if he was okay, he was gone. The only remnant of Mick was a rotting apple core and a horrible smell of burning flesh. Val snatched her tray from where she was sitting, and booked it across the mess hall towards the Rat table. She slid into the seat next to Rose, tugging on his sweat-shirt sleeve till he finally turned around.

"What? What do need Val?" Rose snapped

"I need to talk to you alone. Right. Now."

"What the hell do you mea-"

"You heard me Rose, now come on!"

Rose stood begrudgingly, and followed Val out into the dark of the late summer night. "Alright Val, what is so important that you had to drag me out here right this second?" 

"I was sitting in the back left table, with all the lanterns. When I sat down the table was empty, but after awhile this kid named Mick appeared and he said a lot of stuff about this guy named Achilles and you not liking him, and when I tried to leave he wouldn't let me go till I promised not to tell you about him,and,and…" She drifted off, and finally looked back at Rose. She watched his face go from fear, to anger, to disgust, and back to fear again. He looked so pale, and gripped Val's shoulders with an intensity that scared her slightly.

"Okay, I know I was kinda a dick about coming out here, but I'm glad you told me. Mick…was an old prefect whose story is long and complicated, and I have zero time to get to like any of it right now, but for now don't go anywhere near that table, and enjoy your classes. I'll tell you more at breakfast, or sooner, I don't know when I'll get time but I will explain things, okay?" Val nodded. "Alright, good, what's your first class."

Valentine pulled out her schedule, and said, " Arcane spells 101."

"That's pretty damn advanced for a beginner, but after that stunt with magic rat, what do I know. Dink's in that class too, so if you need help he's there." Loud chatter rose up behind them as kids began to leave the mess hall. "No more ghosts alright? Only got one priest here and he's already stretched pretty thin, got it?" Val laughed gently.

"Yeah."

Val started off in the direction of the classrooms, when Peter and his prefect came up behind her. "Hey there Val, missed you during dinner. Already found a new big brother, ho?" Val rolled her eyes.

"For your information Peter, Rose was just giving me some directions. And also, if you're going to put your arm around Bonzo like you already made him your bitch, at least do so he's the main girl and not some side whore." Peter blushed and pulled his arm off Bonzo quickly. Valentine laughed quietly and walked off towards the lights of Fleethouse main.


	4. Spruce Wingston is a stupid name

Valentine stumbled into Rat at about 3 a.m. Her classes had been spectacular, despite the fact she nearly fell asleep in last period [Common potions, enchantments, and jujus]. She tiptoed around other bunkies, careful to not step and Rose and Dink's faces. She grabbed the railing on the stairway, and descended into the basement. Red brick covered in the writing of old prefects lined the walls between rooms, long hand-woven tapestries directing children around the halls and towards the forge. The hallway was spiral with two long walk ways overlooking, and eventfully going down to, the potions area. Val walked over to her room, and pushed open the door, making a mental note to lock it next time. She flopped down on her bed, letting her familiar curl up on her legs. Throwing her things on the desk, she pulled out her notebook from dinner. In addition to her doodles, notes on arcane and parallel dimensions decorated the page. She focused on one note in particular writing. "Arcane forces are mysterious by nature, but the vengeful dead who lean towards the arcane often entrust one with their knowledge in hopes that the torture will satisfy them." Val whispered to herself. Mick was obviously a spirit, and Rose seemed to know a lot about him…oh god was this why Rose was so scared after Val told him about the confrontation? Val sighed, leaning back and putting her notebook with the rest of her things. She pulled the blanket over her, set her alarm for 7,and drifted off.

Sun. Horrible blistering sun, and ungodly, unbearable heat. Val tried to move, but when she looked down her shoes had melted onto the stone tiling. She peered up towards where the ceiling should be, but found only a hole and more sun. Where was she? It was obviously somewhere on campus, as the Fleethouse emblem was painted on the far wall. The room was colder than any of the places she'd encountered so far, and there were biohazard signs everywhere. Val could feel her shoes melting even farther, threatening to burn off the bottom of her feet. Val whipped around, looking for a safe surface to move too. She spotted a gurney that appeared to be icing over, and wiggled out of her shoes. Standing on top of the toes, she leaped over to the gurney, and landed squarely in the middle of it. Her hands slipped slightly and she pushed off the floor. Hissing at the pain in her feet, Val held on as the gurney drifted across the room. Val squirmed. She knew what this room was. She had stood in one trying to comfort Ender after the incident. She could almost hear that voice, all his little "I'm sorry!" and "I didn't know it would be that bad!" Val sighed. It wasn't his fault really. Stilson was a bastard and a half, and came at him first. But, Ender was never one to forget guilt. The gurney bumped gently into a wall, and Val cringed. Drawers, hundreds of them, all labeled with names Val recognized. The wall seemed to stretch on forever, several ajar towards the end. Grabbing the handles of two drawers, she pushed herself down that way. The gurney refused to move though, and Val realized that the wheels had begun to thaw and melt. An open drawer wasn't too far from her reach, and she'd be able to jump to it easily. She signed and stood up, bracing herself and hopping over. The materiel inside wasn't steel, but instead bedding, almost like a coffin. Val shivered and looked over to the front of the drawer to see whose final resting place she was violating. "Achilles De Fleur." She read aloud. Didn't Mick mention Achilles, particularly him not wanting Mick out of his corner? She glanced over at the other drawers and read their names quickly. Achilles, Mick, Stilson, a drawer with the label, "He called himself Spruce Wingston, but he never knew his real name," and…

"Bonzo Madrid?" Val questioned. What in the hell was the salamander prefect doing in here? He was alive and well at dinner, and unless Peter had been having a random murder spree he should be fine, right? Val leaned over, and gasped. An adorable, yet gigantic salamander was napping right there. "Well aren't you lovely?" She said, smiling. It looked up at her, and stretched. Jumping out of its drawer, it wandered into the middle of the sun-scorched floor. "él está de vuelta." It whispered softly. It sat still for a second, then screeched. The heat of the floor seemed to catch up to it, and it scurried back into its drawer. Val reached in, scooping up the lizard gently, and inspecting the bottom of its feet. The burns weren't bad, but they were definitely very painful. She held it to her chest, surveying the room for some kind of bandage.

"Oh darling, who needs actual medical supplies in a Morgue?" The lights blew, glass shattering and darkness invading.

The lizard struggled in her arms.

"You fear the sun, Valentine. I can tell. Witches work better in moonlight and shadows, no?"

Val scooted back, back hitting the drawers as she desperately searched for the source of the voice.

"But you taunt it as well, sleeping its grave." Val struggled, as some invisible force pushed her to lie down in the drawer. Val's head hit the bedding, the rest her body becoming like lead. "When will children learn not to play with fire?" The lizard was pulled out of her hands, and Val watched in horror as a sandy hair boy choked the poor thing to death. He turned back to her, grinned, and pushed the drawer closed as she screamed.

Val shot up, a single scream escaping her before she clamped her hands over her mouth. She pushed the covers aside, noting the stinging in her feet. She pulled open her wardrobe, grabbing sweatpants and a hoodie and changing quickly. She crept up the staircase, tiptoeing back across the living room, stealing Rose's hair tie on the way to the front door. Val ran towards the Salamander bunkhouse, late summer wind whipping at her face. She turned back for a second, and when she turned back she smacked face first into Bonzo. "Ey! Watch it, fuckfa-" Bonzo stopped short. "Valentine?" She nodded, rubbing her forehead. "I was actually, um, just coming to talk to you…" Bonzo stumbled.

"Is it about? Did you hear him? Too I mean?"  
"Y-Yeah."

Val sighed. "Show me your hands." Bonzo held out his right hand, palm up. Val frowned. The pads of his fingers were burned, and she doubted Bonzo still had fingerprints. "Bonzo, you need to get to the Nurse. NOW." She let go of his hands and pushed him in the general direction of the Nurse.

"Valentine?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you thinks if he's back, Spruce is back too?"

"Bonzo, I have no idea who that guy at the end was, but if the dead are rising, what's one more?" Val shrugged and laughed awkwardly. Bonzo grimaced.

"Forget I even asked." Bonzo stalked off towards the Nurse.

Val sighed, and walked back to Rat. She opened the door, and froze. Zeck and Rose sat on the couch, Zeck staring at his feet and Rose visibly irritated. "So, um, yeah first order of business. Give back my fucking hair tie." Val slip the Black hair tie out, noting the jeweled rose pendant. She handed it to Rose, who pulled his own hair into a high pony. "Okay second, we're going to have a serious talk about what you can and cant do after 6 a.m." 6 a.m? "Its 6 a.m.?" Rose sighed.

"No Val, its 10 a.m. The reason why we're the only ones here are because you missed the all call for breakfast 30 minutes ago, and Zeck wanted to stay back with me to wait for you. Hell, even Zeck's rat is upset." The tiny brown rat in Zeck's arms squeaked in agreement, and Val wondered about her familiar. "Val, where the blue hell where you?" Val sighed.

"I saw Achilles, he tried to bu-" Val stopped. Rose looked like he was going to cry. "I'm sorry, but he's definitely back. He particularly wasn't fond of Bonzo, and basically burned his hands to high hell. Also Bonzo asked me about some guy named Spruce, and I think I really hurt his feelings cause I kinda just laughed him off because I didn't know what to do and-" Rose stopped her.

"Take me to Bonzo. He doesn't even know everything, and he was there. Spruce deserved better."


	5. Mick vs The Sun

Tense. Tense was the only word to describe Rose as he peered into the small room Bonzo occupied. Valentine reached up to touch his shoulder, but he just swatted her hand away. Val stepped carefully towards the reptilian boy. "God, Bonzo, don't pick at your scales, they'll regrow." Peter grabbed Bonzo's hand and pulled it away from his face. He had been there when they arrived, but was more concerned with keeping everyone out then actually getting his prefect help. "How the hell did this happen?" Bonzo croaked, and slowly every pair of eyes in the small infirmary room wandered over to him. "Rose, you said you would tell me about Mick and Achilles, but you haven't exactly told anyone else either. I think," Val looked at the others. "it's time you told us." Rose just sighed, and motioned towards the door. The younger students followed behind him, the nurse bandaging Bonzo's hands one more time before sending him on his way.

The Rat bunkhouse porch was in shambles, but it provided amble shade and privacy for Rose. Val noticed that the wood here was rotting unlike the fine cedar inside. It was almost as if someone had dismantled the house completely, then only fixed the inside. Zeck and Rose had taken their usual spots, while the others just sat in any spot that wasn't going to break under them. "It all started in my fifth year of Fleethouse…"

******************12 year old Rosen flash back commence****************

"Rosen! Where the hell are you?" Rose sunk deeper into the shadows. Mick was looking for him, as always, and Rose hid in wall creases and the darkness under the stairs to escape him. "Shadow boy? C'mon, its only worse if you hide!" Pushing himself farther into the garden's shadows, Rose trembled as Mick came closer. The older boy scanned the ground around him, then stopped. "Don't remember sunflowers having curly hair. Or noses." Mick snickered. Rose stepped out of the sunflower's shadow and slowly traced the darkness of the night back to his unconscious body on the living room floor. Mick stood next to him, watching as he reattached his shadow to his body. Twitching, Rose's conscious shifted from his shadow form to his solid one. Rose sat up, yawned, and was promptly pulled up by his hair. "Now look here," Mick sneered, "I took you from Phoenix because I was tired watching you get the shit beat out of you. But all you've done since you've got here is make me want to grind you and your stupid nose into the mud!" Rose clawed at Mick's hand. Mick scowled, and brought back his fist. "תפסיק!" Mick brought his fist about an inch from his face, then stopped. He dropped Rose, kicking him in his stomach afterwards. "You weren't worth Carby." Rose held his stomach, tears swelling in the corners of his eyes. "Oh Yeah! I'm gonna beat Achilles within an inch of his life tonight. _Don't_. Get in my way." Mick walked out the front door, slamming it. Rose got up slowly, and pushed his ear to the door. He could hear Mick joking with the other Rat kids in that higher pitched voice, the one that made everyone think he was just some jokester who took the worse kids and gave them a home. He sunk back down and pulled out the small black and white photo he carried with him. Just him, Dink, a few other kids they used to be friends with, and the old leopard bunkhouse on a clear night. It had all been perfect once, before Phoenix, before Mick, back when Rose the nose was an insult among friends. Rose crumpled the photo in his hand, and made a promise to himself. If by some terrible irony he ever became Rat prefect, he would take every stupid kid to grace this dumb camp. He wouldn't hit them, he wouldn't make them afraid to use their powers, and above all he'd put them before everything. Before prefect feuds, before his powers, before himself even. If he got to be in charge, then no one was going to touch his kids.

******************12 year old Rose flashback end******************

"Oh." Was all Val seemed to be able to say. No wonder Mick had tried to stop her from telling Rose. "I…are you going to go on or?" Zeck placed his hand on Rose's shoulder, but he just looked away. Zeck just sighed. "I don't remember much of that night, but Mick and Achilles' fight got out of hand. The entire things a blur, but b-" Bonzo stopped him. "I know exactly what the hell happened that night." Everyone turned to face him, and with one last sigh, began his story. "Mick and Achilles had said at the beginning of the fight no powers, but neither one of them listened…"

***********The thing you've been waiting for flashback commence************

Bonzo followed the older boys towards the middle of Rat, Phoenix and Salamander's shared lawn. His prefect had pushed through the others to make sure he had a prime view of the fight, saying this was the closest he was gonna get to taking Bonzo to the fights back home. "Just sit back, enjoy, and don't close, alright?"

"Yeah yeah whatever Spruce."

"I'm serious Bonnie, kids can die in these things!"  
"They already said no powers, they'll be fine."

Spruce just sighed and turned back towards the other two boys. They were just circling, waiting for the other to make a move. Mick stopped for a second, then rushed Achilles. He kicked Achilles in the stomach, but he grabbed Mick's leg the second time, flipping him over on his back. He went to punch Mick but the other grabbed his fist. Bonzo watched, rapt with attention. Spruce frowned. Bringing Bonzo to this was a mistake. This wasn't like the fights, this was two kids trying to murder each other, nothing for an 8 year old to be watching. Spruce grabbed Bonzo's wrist, pulling him away. "Wait Spruce, no! I wanna see it!"

"You shouldn't be here. C'mon." Spruce turned, took a few steps, and turned back when he heard the scream. He whipped around, and gasped. Achilles' hand was impaled with a long cylinder of iron. "Bitch!" Achilles grabbed Mick's face, and burning it, skin twisting and Mick screaming.

"What the hell is he doing?"

"Mick used his powers, so Achilles is fighting back, stay here!" Spruce ran out into the fray, pulling Mick back from the fight. "Get the hell out of this Spruce!" Achilles screamed, Spruce just pulling the other farther. Pushing his palm flat against the earth, Mick pulled a long, pointed iron spear out of the grass and thrust it deep into Spruce's abdomen. Spruce choked, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. Mick took the spear and threw it towards the Phoenix bunkhouse. It broke one of the many windows, the yell of a younger bunkie echoing throughout the lawn. For a second, the crowd, the two boys, everything froze. "Oh shit." Mick lowered his hands. "Oh my god, some-someone get in there and check on them!" Several students ran inside the house, and Mick approached Achilles slowly. "Mick?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know how hot the sun is?"

"N-no. I have no idea how hot the sun is!"

"Well, I would say that its hot enough to set a house on fire." Mick looked at Achilles, confused.

"What the hell is that supp-" _**BOOM!**_

Mick was propelled down by a wave of heat and wind. Before he could even turn around he already knew what had happened. Somehow, using those horrible sun harnessing powers of his, Achilles had burst the forge in the basement. The fire caught on banisters and wooden carvings, the flames engulfing the entirety of the house in minutes. "MICK!" Rose's screams cut through the night. Mick whipped back and forth between Achilles and the Bunkhouse, thoughts racing through his head. He could leave Achilles here, and help the bunkies, or he could take that son of bitch out right now. "MICK PLEASE!" Mick scrambled towards his feet, noting his bleeding hands. He jumped up onto Achilles, pulling at his hair.

"B-bonnie…"

Bonzo turned towards his bleeding prefect. Spruce reached up and touched his cheek, blood smearing across Bonzo's cheek. "Get t-t-the hell out of here…"

"Spruce there's a lot of blood."

"Bonnie, do as y-your told, and get out."

"Spruce no!" An older student grabbed Bonzo and pulled him away. Away from that night. Away from the fight. Away from his prefect and near-adoptive father.

**************End of the thing its all been leading up too flashback************

"They took me back to the Salamander bunks. Mick and Achilles ended up killing each other, something with the iron in their blood solidifying enough to block the blood flow. Spruce bled out on the field, the bunkie that got hit was Petra and she's got a scar the size of the titanic. Don't know how many kids got hurt in the Rat fire."

"5 kids died, numerous other injuries."

"What Rose said."

The porch was quiet. Val looked back down at the wood, only now noticing the blackened edges. Peter leaned over, wrapping his arms around his prefect. Rose leaned over the porch-side, throwing up a little in his mouth. Zeck sighed. He'd been young, but he could still remember the smoke and how Rose had looked when Mick went for Achilles. His entire world shattered because Mick cared more about his own hatred then the Rat bunkies. "C'mon, Rose, lets go." Zeck lead Rose back into the house. Peter helped Bonzo up, and they left for the Salamander bunks. "Hey Val?" Peter said before leaving. "You alright?" Val nodded, heading back into the house. She sat down next to Rose, and watched as the midday sun danced along the living room floor. "Guys look I finally made that potio-" Dink stopped, the somberness of the living room making itself evident immediately. "You told them about Mick?" "Yeah." Dink sat on the couch, patting Rose gently on the back. "I could have saved them. I was supposed to save them."

"Rose you barely made it out that fire alive."

"Should've gone back in to help them."

"And would you be still be sitting here?"

"One dead kid is better than five Dink."

Val could tell that this was a conversation that they had had many times before.

"Bonzo?"  
"Yeah Peter?"

"Were you going to tell me about Spruce?"

"Eventually. Its only really been 2 days."

"Yeah, well, if I'm being honest, I feel like I've known you my entire life."

"Same here." The two boys leaned against each other, and despite the short amount of time they had spent together, they locked hands.

"Hey Ender?"

"Yeah Alai?"

"Isn't that your brother?" Ender peered over towards where Alai had pointed, and nearly spit out his water. Somehow, within the two days they had been here, Peter had managed to seduce his prefect. Ender stared dumbfounded, and watched as they disappeared into Salamander together. "So…did you know or?" Ender just shook his head and got up. "Bernard's waiting for us, we should go." Alia grinned, snickering at the bright red of Ender's cheeks as he boarded his bicycle.

(Hey! This is the author. Just wanted to apologize for the hiatus. I didn't really know exactly how to approach this chapter while also getting in everything I wanted to. Chapters and updates will be more frequent but probably not as long. I'm uploading this around 2:40, and I started at about 9:00 am this morning. Also a little shout out to Jean D, who followed this story! Thank you!)


	6. In between the main story

"You all've been moping for 5 days!" Dink kicked the cover off Valentine on the last day of her first week. Technically, he wasn't wrong. Rosen was holed up in his room, combing through books and scrolls for a way to get rid of Mick, Val kept having horrible dreams about Achilles, though thankfully Bonzo only ever had the one. Zeck, who Val hadn't realized was even off-color, seemed to just stare distantly at his bible in the garden without actually reading it. Val hissed at the ray of sun that hit her face and sat up. She reached for the hairbrush by the couch and pulled it through her mop of frizzy red hair. "Rose! C'mon, get out of there, barely spend any time in there nor-oh." Val raised an eyebrow and walked to the garden. 

"Zeck! Dink wants all four of us in the living room!"

"Coming."

Val walked back into the house, stepping out of the way as Dink carried Rose down the stairs. Nearby, Rose's shadow dipped in and out of Dink's shadow. He placed Rose gently onto the floor, and sat down with Val and Zeck on the sofa. Rose blinked and stretched. "So…why was I dragged down the stairs?" Dink sighed.

"Since the incident with Achilles, none of you have been in your right minds. Now I'm not saying his possible return isn't a problem, but if I'm being honest, you look like shit." Rose scowled. "I'm taking all of you out of the house, right now, we're getting ice cream, and we're going to have a good day." Everyone grumbled, but eventually followed Dink to the small ice cream shop on the opposite side of campus. Val sat down at small table while the others went to order, and again marveled at the pure size of Fleethouse. The housing and school itself wasn't very big, but the surrounding forests were absolutely immense (Though one did wonder how the idea to put an ice cream place in the middle of a forest came to be). The oak trees seemed to curve inwards, glowing branches illuminating the space with pinkish light. The small building and surrounding tables were made of the black briars from the tall bushes that covered the entrance to the Centipede bunks, hard thorns sanded out and bits of caught fabric removed. Val looked over at the others, and sighed. The three boys weren't actually ordering, but squabbling endlessly among themselves, certainly about nothing important. God, what was wrong with them? Zeck told on you for anything, Rose was all talk, and Dink was…Dink. Honestly there was nothing wrong with Dink, but he never seemed to be in the right place. He was powerful, competent, picked up a lot of Rose's slack when it came to running the bunkhouse, and missed the point of Rat completely. While she had at first doubted Rose's proclamation of Rat being the "Special Ed" of campus, the more she saw the people who lived in Rat the more she began to wonder if he was exactly wrong. Zeck refused to use his powers in the first place, citing it as "witchcraft" and "against the lord." The other Dutch boy, Phillip, was always messing something up, through his reanimation shenanigans or clever pranks he should've had no time to set up. Dink, however, spent his time wisely, and used his profiencey in the Darker arts for important things, like homework, and gardening. Even the way he dressed, in a causal cloak and black shirt jean combo, went against the Rat custom of dressing so you matched no one in the entire School. "We just got you Vanilla. That alright?" Dink set down a small sprinkled cone in front of her, Val nodding. "Hey Dink, can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"How you get transferred into Rat Army?"

Dink froze mid-scoop, spoon hovering inches from his mouth. Val waited, watching as he hesitantly put down his spoon and turned towards her. "I said no."

"What?"

"I said no."

"To what?"

"Being prefect. A lot of times. First with Leopard, then with Condor, and after Mick died they wanted me to take over. _A good outside perspective,"_ Dink grunted, imitating Graff's deep voice, " _is what the Rat house needs right now._ Yeah right, what Rat needed was someone who understood what Rat was, and if anybody gets Rat, its Rose."

"Why did you say no to the other ones?"

"I didn't want it."

"But its prefect! They get everything!"

"And you know who they answer to?"

"Graff."

"Exactly."

Val chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Why don't you like Graff?" Dink just sighed, and shoveled ice cream into his mouth. The others finally returned, and Valentine knew there was no pushing Dink on the matter.

Peter's lungs were burning. The track wasn't particularly rough or hard really, it was just…long! A path had been paved by runners trampling the same 5 miles through the forest for years, and the ground was firm, perfect for sprinting. "C'mon shark-boy, keep up!" Curse Madrid for taking him on a course he'd been running since he was 6. The other was several yards ahead, occasionally looking back at Peter to make sure he hadn't lost him altogether. Peter coughed, his legs leaden but somehow still moving. He blinked, and when he looked back Bonzo was gone. He slowed to a jog, coughing harder now. Sitting on a boulder off the side of the track, Peter hacked, spit and sweat dripping off the edge of his chin. "Madrid?" He wheezed. "Madrid!" His voice echoed through the trees, but if his prefect heard him, he didn't respond. The trees above him jostled. Peter looked up, and nearly shrieked. Bonzo stared back at him, yellowish eyes burning holes in him. Taking a second look, Peter cringed at the angle of Bonzo's spine. It curved, conforming to the branch, and every time he moved ligatures clicked in and out of place. "How the hell are you even staying on there?" Bonzo sat upright on the branch, pushed his spine into a more comfortable position, and held up his palms. Each finger had a gentle webbing between it, the tips slightly larger than normal. A orangey brown slime kept them slightly damp at all times, a fact Peter had noticed but not given much thought. Bonzo swung over the side of the branch, landing besides Peter on the boulder. "Why the hell did you leave me like that!" Peter growled.

"You needed a break, but you would have never of stopped with me in front of you, and I wasn't about to let some newbie pass me." Peter punched him in the arm, and the other recoiled, wincing. "If anything you should of seen my shoes by the base of the trunk and realized where I went." Peter looked over, spotting a pair of black and white sneakers discarded by the path. He grimaced, and hit his prefect again. "Stop it." The other gently whapped Peter's leg with his tail.

"Since when do you have a tail?"

"Since when have you become so unobservant?"

Peter pushed Bonzo off their rock, looking back out at the expense of track. "How much longer does this go on?"

"Not long. I was going to take you too this pond at the end of it, but I'm reconsidering it now."

"What the hell am I going to do at a pond?"

"I don't fucking know man! I just go there a lot to sun, and I wanted to show you! It's important to me!" Peter kicked his prefect and wandered off down the path. At the end was the pond, large rocks and flowers dotting the water's edge. Peter looked out over the murky water, and sighing, he took off his shirt and slipped in. His gills fluttered, water flowing in and out. He swam back out to the pond's edge and pulled up himself out of the water. "It's nice, isn't it?" Peter whipped around, his prefect sunning himself lazily on one of the many rocks.

"Yeah."

"Sorry that I scared you."

"It's fine."

"I just wanted to show you this place. I come here a lot and hide things."

"Like what kind of things?" Bonzo rolled off the rock, walking over to a small tree stump. Moving a pile of dead leaves and twigs, he plunged his hand into the dark expense of a wide hole, and pulled out a stack of envelopes. He went to give them to Peter, but hesitated. Bonzo grabbed Peters hand and a particularly sharp stick. "You read these, you have to promise never to tell anyone who I haven't already shown. Some of things in here…" Leafing through the letters, Bonzo pulled out a pale blue paper with three dark splotches staining certain words and phrases to an unreadable state. "State your full name."

"We're 14 Bonzo, not 7."

Bonzo took the stick and threw it, gently gracing Peter's ear. "You do this the way all the others did, or you don't do this at all." Peter cringed, rubbing his ear.

"Peter Arkady Wiggin."

"Why am I showing you these letters?"

"I guess I'm kind of your boyfriend?"

"Do you promise that these letters will stay between you, me, Blu Micallef, Grant Moretti, and the ever regrettable Dink Meeker?"

"Of course."

Bonzo nodded, dragging the stick across the knuckles of Peter's finger, Peter hissing as the blood dripped down onto the letter. It pooled in the left hand corner, making it so the address was unreadable. He handed over the rest of the letters, bandaging the others hand as he began to read them. "Are these…from your dad?" Bonzo nodded and Peter frowned. Most of the letters were just Bonzo's parents begging him to come back to Spain with a few extra words about what a disgrace he was thrown in. Peter stopped reading about halfway through, and tossed them back in the hole they came from. "We're going to burn those right?"

"My last year, May 15th. The day hell started." Peter dared not question what happened on May 15th, but instead pulled a small certificate. "Bonzo?"

"Yeah?"

"Ever seen a dead body?"

"No…why?"

"My brother Ender killed a boy when he was 6. We all had to stand in the morgue while Ender cried, but when Val turned I swiped the boy's death certificate." Bonzo peered over at the paper and his breath hitched. "Peter, that's one of the names on the drawers. In the dream with Achilles." The color drained from his face. "I…he…Ender didn't…he can't come back, it'll destroy him…" Bonzo went to touch Peter's shoulder, but he smacked it away. He jumped up, threw the paper into the air, and kicked it into the pond. "STAY DEAD FUCKASS!" He screamed, the entire forest reverberating with anger. Tears rolled down his face, choked half-sobs escaping him. He crumbled to the ground, laying there for what felt hours, his prefect not daring to move an inch. Eventually, he rose, and went to over to Bonzo, apologizing. "Don't, lets just…lets just go." Bonzo and Peter left the pond, but return there nearly everyday after that.

(Hey, I know this chapter will probably be a little funky, but I needed a way to get from main plot a to main plot b and this was it. So again sorry if it's a little wonky.)


	7. Do you even rememeber Pinual

"How does the girl know?"

"Her prefect told her."

"He can never keep his mouth shut, can he?"

"She needed to know."

"Why?"

"Well Colonel, I fear we may have a ghost problem."

Val scribbled the date at the top of her paper. It was Friday, thankfully, and also the first day of September. Even though they had arrived the last week of August, she had secretly hoped Summer lasted longer being on the other side of the country. But, as always, cold wind and reddish leaves had invaded the campus, and the teachers had taken this as a clue that the school year should truly begin. The workload had ramped up significantly, and Val's sleep schedule left her barely awake when Peter talked. She caught about every second word, but didn't process any of it, as all he ever talked about was his prefect. Looking back up at her instructor, she noticed that lesson had seemed to have veered off course. What had started as a simple assignment about different types of courses had turned into a full-blown lecture on restless spirits. Val sighed. "Achilles come out."

"Who you calling Achilles?" Val cringed. Seeing Mick's face on 's body was just so damn odd, and his unnerving smile only made matters worse. "Ayyyyy Val. Long time no see. Heard from the other hopeless spirits that Achilles was bugging you here, so I came to put him in his place." Mick yawned. "But he doesn't seem to be showing up. Puss." Val frowned, doodling on her paper. "So are you just going to ignore me or…"

"I know what you did to Rose."

"Oh that? Pfhhtt, Rose is just blowing things out of proportions. Not like I ever actually hit him. Well maybe once, or pretty much every-whatever he's an idiot and you shouldn't trust him!"

"God! Just leave me alone! Both of you!" Mick rolled his eyes.

"What about the rest of them?"

"Them?"

"The other dead kids! Can they come to see you, but not _me?_ "

"I don't know any other dead kids." Val gritted her teeth.

"Well!" Mick pulled a ruler out from behind his back, and tapped the floor three times. Walls and desks twisting, the room morphed into large blobs of bright colors. Mick tapped the floor again, and the colors sharpened into the arena of a circus tent. Val looked down, realizing her hoodie and jeans had been replaced with childish overalls and a t-shirt, a propeller hat completing the look. She sighed, but was glad that Mick had finally gone back to his normal attire and body. The spot lights sputtered on, illuminating three cages. "In Cage number 1, we meet a sad tale. Unloved, unwanted, and unnamed, Spruce Wingston was left on Colonel Graff's doorstep, and touched what little was left of his heart." Mick hit the cage, Spruce jumping slightly and turning to face him. "Valentine?" Spruce's voice was barely a whisper, Mick growling and slamming his ruler against the cage again. Spruce squeaked pitifully and sat back down.

"In cage number 2, we have someone I believe you're already familiar with. Stilson!" Stilson looked up, and waved awkwardly at Val. She waved back, desperately trying to shake the image of Stilson's corpse from her mind. "Anything to say Stil?"

"Um…Sor-"

"Onto the next cage!" Mick slid over to a cage with no spotlight, but seemed to glow on its own. "Frustration can and did drive this poor soul crazy, say hi Pinual!" Pinual didn't move.

"Hey c'mon. I've got company." Mick shook the cage, the ghost inside still not moving. "Aye Fuckface, you kill yourself again or wh-AH!" A large hand shot out of the cage, dragging Mick to the edge. He gripped the arena carpet, fingers slipping. Mick screamed, disappearing into the darkness of the cage as the glow slowly faded from it. Minutes passed, tense silence filling the room. Eventually though, the spotlight overhead Pinual's cage flickered on, and Mick was no where to be seen. Pinual slipped through the bars and approached Val's desk. "H-h-hey there." Val stuttered. He grimaced, and grabbed Val's hair. _**"You need to leave. Achilles needs room to work."**_ Pinual slammed Val's face into the desk.

Val groaned. Blood poured from her nose and her entire face felt like shit. Sitting up, she climbed onto the couch by Zeck. Zeck raised an eyebrow and handed her a box of tissues. She shoved a wad of it up her nose. "Roose!" She called, Rose sliding down the banister and landing smack dab in the middle of the cover pile. "Sup."

"Whose Pinall?"

"Val what the hell are you saying."

Val pulled the tissue out of her nose. "Who's Pinual?"

"Oh, how do I phrase this," Rose chewed on his bottom lip. "to not sound all shitty. Well, in all honestly, Pinual kind of drove himself crazy. Every once in a while someone just drops a kid off no notice or anything, and Graff has no other option just to take them. Pinual bonded to Graff though, despite his indifference, and was always trying impress him. One day, trying to get Pinual off his back, Graff took one of the old aptitude test games and asked him to solve it. You had two cups and had to figure out which one was poisonous. Was supposed to tell if the kid had future vision or something because both cups are poison. But of course Pinual didn't know this, and didn't want disappoint Graff, so he drove himself nuts over it. When he finally confronted The Colonel over it, he told him that he'd known about both cups the entire time, and pretty much told him didn't really care about him at all. Pinual was crushed, and 3 days later they wheeled him out of the Condor bunkhouse on a stretcher."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Wait, why did you want to know about him anyway?"

"Well he kinda slammed my face against a dream-desk so I thought some background might be nice." A gentle murmur of 'owwww' echoed through the bunkhouse and Val giggled. She leaned back, wiping blood off the side of her nose. "Hey…Rose?" The older grunted. "How the scroll-searching going?" Rose groaned, sitting up and patting Val's head. "Don't you worry about that Val. Things will be over before they can even begin."

"Why isn't it working?!" Graff screamed. Dap frantically paged through the spell book, lights flickering and office supplies flying. The two crouched behind Graff's desk, huddled as electricity flashed in and out of the Evocation circle. "We did everything right! Its too strong!"

"How?! Its just a kid!"

"Godamnit Graff did you listen to a word I said!" Graff just shook his head and looked back. Previously nailed down books came free, and descended into the middle of the circle. A final bolt of pure light struck the floor, and everything stopped. Any mark left by lightening was gone, and slowly the office supplies stopped spinning and fell to the ground. "Oh. Never mind Dap it worked. Had me worried for a second, heh!" Dap peered over the edge of the desk, and pulled Graff back down. Ripping through the fabric of time and carpet, monstrous hands pulled open evocation circle and freed itself from the spirit world. Grabbing onto the ceiling fan, Pinual pulled himself out of the way, Achilles ascending gracefully in full white. The wind only picked up in the room as he arrived, the boy clicking distastefully as a book hit him in the face. He thrust his hands out, and the entire room halted, then returned to its original state. "So good to see you all~" Achilles mocked, leaning over the top of the desk.

"Spare me the doves." Graff growled. Achilles' grin faded. "Pinual!" He screeched, the elder two covering their ears. Pinual just let himself down for the fan, seemly unaware of Achilles' volume. "Be a good boy and entrain Uncle James okay?" Achilles cooed, stroking Pinual's chin. Pinual again didn't seem hear, but snarled at Dap anyway. "Just wanted to say thanks for letting us out, but," Achilles kicked the Colonel in the stomach, "you were trying to banish us in the first place." Placing his hand on either side of Graff's face, Achilles glared and pried his mouth open with his thumbs. "This may hurt sir. I apologize in advance." Graff started to protest, but the sound was drowned out by his own screams of pain. Achilles cackled, Pinual and Dap looking over to watch, Pinual grinning and Dap's face frozen in one of terror. Graff went silent, then groaned. Gripping the desk's edge, he stood, legs shaking. "Oh Pinual," Achilles voice came from Graff, and Dap gasped. "it worked. It really worked!" Graff wiped a tear from his eye, then picked up Pinual, placing him snugly upon his shoulders. He purred, morphing from a boy to a tiefling like creature with a cats face instead of a human's. "Dap."

"What the hell did you do?" Dap's voice shook.

"Just a simple possession. Now, how do we make you disappear?" Grabbing Dap by the shirt, he threw him into the open portal in the middle of the floor. Dap screamed, the portal closing over him. Graff grinned, straightening the things on his desk and taking a seat. "Always wanted to sit he-Eep!" A quick knock, and Graff's fellow chairman, Jawaharlal Chamrainagar entered the room. "Everything alright in here? I heard something, but I wasn't sure what is was." Graff grinned sickly, unnerving Cham.

"Oh sir, I can assure you. Everything is just fine."


	8. Possesion is a risky buniess

"You don't need Latin, just 'bibdy boddy rat.'" Peter motioned vaguely with his hands, Val sighing and going back to her homework. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in Salamander, with Bonzo having climbed to the roof to sun and no one doing anything particularly important. Yawning, Ender sat nearby, bored, making his fingers ignite on command. Time seemed to slow, and Valentine considered joining Flip for his midday nap. "Like 'boop noop boop shark."

"Peter that's not how this works at a-"

"Somethings wrong!" Dink burst through the doors, cloak fluttering dramatically.

"Knew it!" Bonzo called.

"It's Graff. He isn't acting right."

"How?" Ender asked, rolling over.

"Well we bumped into each other today and instead of doing that weird white person half smile," Dink whispered, Peter snorting. "he told me to be more careful. He doesn't talk to kids unless he has too! That's why he hired Dap!"

"I haven't seen Dap in a few days now that I think about it."

"Plus, I could see his ears. Just wiggling out, not even tucked into his hat or anything."

"Like, like his real ears?" Bonzo yelled, scaling the rocky skylight down to Dink's level. His voice was more frantic, but less worried than Dink's.

"Yeah!"

"What's the deal with Graff's ears?" Valentine questioned.

"They're clipped." Peter gasped, but Val just tilted her head confused.

"Clipping's when a mutant will get a odd or hard-to-control part of them cut off partially or fully so it doesn't stick out at much." Dink sighed. "Graff's clipping is really old, he must of got it in his early teens, but its in the middle of his ear. He always tries to tuck so we don't see, yet today he's has them completely uncovered." Murmurs swept through the bunk, Peter gagging besides her. Part of Val wondered whether clipping was so familiar to him because he was older or…no. He wouldn't.

"So? I mean that is terrible but it doesn't really indicate anything other than an off day…"

"Val, I'm not trying to be mean, but you don't know Graff like we do. These are serious red flags." Dink pulled his hood back up and headed for the door. "I'm going to go ask Rose if he's seen any weird shit."

"Okay." Val rolled her eyes. She didn't want to doubt the wizard, but he seemed to making a big deal out little things. His seemingly strained relationship with the Colonel didn't help, and the Pinual nightmare had thrown Rose farther into his hunting, which stressed everyone out. Going in to ask for help on the forge and finding the person in charge quoting Khonjin House surrounded by books you've only ever seen in the restricted part of the library never did inspire complete confidence. Gathering her papers, Val headed back to Rat to try and talk to Rose first. Dink realized this and sped past her, the two laughing hysterically at there silly little anxiety race by the time they got back to the Bunkhouse.

"Hyrum?" This sucked. Being an old man sucked. Waiting for the eclipse sucked. Why hadn't he done this later? What did Achilles have to gain from being a sweaty old man for 3 weeks? Nothing, that's what. And the other adults were _insufferable_. He'd figured out pretty easily there was a deeper relationship between most of them then anticipated in the first few days, between the jokes and old photos in Graff's bedroom. Yet now they suspected there was something wrong with him. Most seemed to think it was another of his apparent mood swings, but other were s little more suspicious. He could see it how they acted, how they watched, things that had slowly begun to appear on desks and in drawers. He'd been careful though and simply asked if there had been a threat to the school. Those were common but not to be taken lightly, and if they answered no he could whisk whatever charm or crufix they'd been carrying while putting in a curt word about paranoia. Ignoring the voice at the door, he reached up to scratch his ears.

"Damnit!" He wheezed. Damn botched ears. Bleeding somewhat, the scabby ear had been clipped at the first muscle, losing its ability to move completely. Similar scars jutted down and around the side of his arms, nubby canines rubbing against his bottom lip. Achilles had known the Colonel hadn't had a perfect home life, but the scars looked, more concerningly, self-inflicted.

"You alright in there?"

"Fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" A quiet chittering came from Pinual, who lounged on his desk like the spoiled house cat he was. _He_ found this all hilarious. Good friends brought each other back from the dead, but best friends laughed when the other clucked instinctively in a dark room like a fucking bat.

"Okay! Its just," The door opened and Achilles pushed Pinual off the desk, screeching. "the hell was that."

"Shamu fell. He's a stupid cat."

"Hm." Cham bent down and petted him behind the ears. "Is that what you're calling him?"

"Yep."

"I don't like it."

"Like I give two fucks." Achilles kicked himself internally. They were supposed to be friends! Cham grimaced, gently wiping the blood off his ears. "Don't touch that."

"I always told you to take better care of them."

"Maybe so." Cham sighed.

"You're impossible." He pushed his lips to Achilles' cheek softly, then went to leave. "By the way, have you seen Dap lately?"

"No." Achilles mumbled.

"Hm." And with that he was gone. Shaking, Achilles brought his hand up to his cheek and wondered if this was why Graff wore that ring of his. A ripping sensation echoed in the very back of his mind, and he could feel the other clawing to break through the possession. Pinual watched horrified as Achilles' face split in two, rapidly switching back into his human form and preparing for a fight. Tearing Graff from his skin, Achilles threw other soul out of the body and towards Pinual, who picked up a wooden box and trapped it inside. The box rattled and shook madly, Pinual forcing it into a foot locker by the desk. Achilles clicked the lock shut and watched terrified as it slammed itself against the locker door, denting it with every smack. But eventually the movement stopped and a quiet groan of pain replaced it.

"Shut it!" Pinual yelled, kicking the locker. It went silent.

"I feel like FUCKING CRAP." Val slammed her face into the vat of blue in front of here, and screamed when it wasn't acid. She was 2 hours into the nightly nap and Mick had been harassing her for almost the entirety of it. But she could take Mick by now that was easy, piece of cake, big woop. What she couldn't stand was whiny Mick after he got his ass rightly kicked and now was in shambles. He spread himself across the Art room table and smacked a brush into her face when she came back up for air, painting a big phony smile on her mouth.

"I don't give two Mick!"

"Weren't you supposed to be the kind sibling?" Val rammed her elbow into Mick's throat and was satisfied with the sputtering that followed it. "God you're a bitch!"

"Stop being a dick and maybe I won't be!"

"Well sweet cheeks what in it to-" Val grabbed Mick's arm and twisted, a satisfying wheeze of pain coming from the other. "Fine! I'll give some dirt on everybody just let go!"

"That isn't what I was going to ask for but okay, fire away." Val sighed.

"Alright! I can't just tell you but Dink was right about something being up with Graff, so get on that."

"Oh sweet lord what now?"

"Nothing a few exorcisms won't fix if Rose ever finds those damn spells." Val slammed her face against the desk, not caring whether or not her nose bled. "Ah, cheer up, I'll give you some gossip."

"Like what?"

"Well, Cham and Graff are an item an-wait if Achilles is in there and Cham doesn't know it-OOOOOOOOOO!"

"OH MY GOD SHUT UP!" Val screeched, Rose jolting awake besides her. She blushed, tucking herself back into the pile of sleepy kids. "Sorry."

"Well madam," He said indignantly, mocking Zeck's preacher voice. "I'll have to ask you to retire alone tonight." Val tucked her pillow under her arm and headed for her room. "But you'd tell me if anything is up right?"

"In the morning."

"Good. Get some real sleep this time."


	9. Funky times at Fleethouse high

A week had pasted at Fleethouse, and Rose was no closer to finding what he wanted. It was easy for him to steal books from the restricted section as holding a book's shadow and then reconnecting himself would immediately teleport the book into his hands, but the books were old and decaying, pages ripped or stained beyond readability. He was learning about what he wanted to do, quite a bit actually, but nothing about the execution of banishing spirits or even just silencing them. On the lucky occasion he did find a spell it was either written in a laungue he didn't know or had ingredients that were impossible to get delivered to what most of the magical word considered a safe little summer camp to make sure your kids didn't get murdered. "Seriously, you need two babies breath flowers bathed in the fountain of youth?" They would say. "What are you gonna do with 'em, stick it on your macaroni art?"

"This is stupid!" He yelled, slamming the book into the floor of his bedroom.

"Well you are a magnet for it, so I wouldn't put it past you." Dink said, gliding into the room carrying his library books like a chill Langston Hughes. Rose glared and swiped the top book from Dink's pile, reading the summary and tossing it back on top.

"Anything fucky happen recently?"

"Val thinks Graff's possessed, and I wouldn't put it past her."

"I told her to tell me if she thought any fucky shit was going down though," Rose groaned. "wasn't like I didn't listen to her last time about it."

"Mick's not the most reputable source though…"

"But he's the only one actually in the spirit world or whatever! As much as I hate him he's probably our best shot on finding out when something's wrong. I honestly thought he'd be out longer than this after the little throw down with Pinual."

"Since when is getting your ass one-sidingly kicked a throw down? But you are right about Mick being are only primary source. Ho Rose, you think you got anything about cross-dreaming?"

"Nah, besides, remember the last time kids got caught cross-dreaming? Half the damn library has been on complete lockdown ever since. I don't know about you but I like being about the check out my text books without special permission."

"Ho that." Dink waded through the unholy mess that was Rose's floor, climbing onto his desk and crouching like a gargoyle.

"So what did Val say Mick said?"

"Something about my hunch with Graff being right and an exorcism."

"He might have well of plastered 'IM POSSESSED' all over Graff's face. Does explain why he's been so out of it lately. And Shamu." Dink shivered. Shamu had once been a happy Russian blue with a color palate similar to that of his namesake. Now Shamu was looing a little more purple and yellow than black and white, and seldom left Graff's side despite his former wandering of the campus. "Well I do have a book on performing exorcisms right here," Rose sighed, handing Dink the book. "So if you wanna get started on throwing spirits out of the cat to practice you can." Dink took the book and left, Rose opening a book and placing it squarely on his face in the hopes of just instantly absorbing the knowledge without having to read.

"You're diurnal, contain an amphibious mutation, require rigorous daily exercise to stay healthy and you're related to a witch, so you're probably not going to switch to a different Bunkhouse." Bonzo said, leaning against the jagged rocks of the Salamander skylight. Peter lied on his belly next to him, not wanting to put his entire body weight on his dorsal fin. The sunlight danced and leaped across the granite, gently warming the pair as they watched the coming and goings of the school during their off period. The woods just beyond were highlighted by the occasional bird, and from every direction children's voices could be heard. "Boys?" They sat up, staring that at Graff as he stared back up at them. "Do you have a way down from there?"

"Yep! Why?" Bonzo yelled.

"Just checking." At with that he was off again, Shamu lagging slightly behind as he was pet by students.

"Odd. He's never cared about us being on the roof before." Bonzo said worriedly.

"He was just making sure we had a way down. If we didn't we'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen." Peter yawned, rolling onto his side.

"Still, this all so funky for Graff."

"Babe calm down. I don't wanna be shitty or dismissive about this, but you're making a big deal out of this. Maybe the reason he's acting like this is because Dap hasn't been around lately."

"What?"

"Yeah, Dap hasn't been on campus in a few days. No one's seen him at all."

"Oh, that's no good, ohhhhhh…" Bonzo's voice trailed off into a series of anxious beeps, Peter watching in complete awe. It lasted for a good minute and when he was done Bonzo looked like he'd just spit in Peter's face accidentally. "Sorry."

"That was adorable." The other's face went from red to scarlet, giggling nervously. Peter poked his stomach, drawing out a beep. He did it again and this time a squeaky 'eee' came out, Bonzo obviously embarrassed but for some reason comfortable. Wasn't like Peter was making fun of him for the noises like everyone else. They sat there till classes resumed, Peter trying to figure just how many sounds his boyfriend made and completely forgetting about Graff.

"Hup Hup Ender! C'mon!" Ender peddled like mad behind his friends, racing through the forcing and screeching every time he went over a bump and his bike went flying. Wind swept past him as he ducked under tree branches and swerved through the rocks and corners, finally catching up to Alai and the others as they wrecked the old running trail's middle.

"This is great!" He screamed above the wind, the others whooping in agreement. He pushed harder on his peddles, barely letting them complete a cycle before he began a new one. The others, however, didn't match his speed. Ender looked behind him and yelled out to them, "Whats wrong? C'mon its fun!"

"You gotta slow down man!" Bernard shrieked back.

"Why?"

"There a ro-ENDER WATCH OUT IT'S THE GIANT ROCK!" Shen cried, Ender turning and watching helplessly as his front tire crashed into the rock, throwing his back end up and propelling him into the air. He flew clear past the tree line for a second, marveling at the green expanse of trees on all sides of him. Gravity, however, knew nothing of dramatic sights or wide eyed children, and sent him hurdling back down into the forest. Branches scraped at his arms and legs and he felt the air being forced out of him as he hit the pond's surface. Disgusting clammy water filled his mouth and stung his eyes as he struggled to get moving again, paddling uselessly as the surface became farther and farther from his grasp. Suddenly, two long purplish arms cut through the water and grabbed his sides, pulling him out in one swift motion. He sputtered, coughing up water and seaweed as the stranger pounded on his back in a repeated motion. "Thank…you…" Ender wheezed as he was flipped back over.

"Its okay." They responded, their eyes a fiery yellow and their arms hardened over with amethyst. "You really shouldn't take the path so fast. You were lucky I'd decided to ditch the old man to explore." Ender laughed, the old exhale sounding particularly humorless. "Pinual. Muller. I crave a boon."

"What boon?" Pinual giggled and Ender worried he'd fallen into some kind of trap. Was this the fae the older kids had talked about living the forest? Ender quietly resolved not to tell Pinual his name.

"Calm down. Even if I did try to curse you, your sister a witch, remember?" Ender frowned. "Anyway, in return for saving your life, I want a secret."

"Just a secret?"

"Yeah, but not a namby-pamby one. Something that keeps you up at night. Something that tears into your soul and slowly rips you apart while no ones looking." Looking over Pinual, Ender realized that his teeth were rather sharp. Tiny horns poked out of his hair, and his fingers ended in sharpened claws. "Gimmie a secret Ender. Its only fair."

"I, um, I…" He stared down at his soaked feet then back at Pinual, who leaned in and arched his body so he towered over him. "I killed someone." He whispered.

"Awww Ender I already knew that one!"

"What?! How?!"

"Well I did meet Stilson one time. Its okay though, you didn't know I knew and it's a pretty good secret for him anyway." Pinual pointed behind him, and Ender gasped. Shen was standing there, looking rather perplexed.

"Shen! I didn't, I was lying, it's the fae, I!"

"Its aight man, we all have to spill our guts to the cat sometimes." Shen said flippantly, Ender's head swiveling back as he saw that Shamu had replaced Pinual and was giving himself a through bathing.

"You didn't hear any of that right?"

"Not a word. Don't worry, Shamu's just about the only good listener in this entire camp." Shen pushed Ender's bicycle towards him and walked back with him to the others.


	10. Shamu

"You're so mean Pinual!" Achilles cried, shrieking with laughter as his best friend recounted the scare he'd given the youngest Wiggin at the pond that day. It was nice to be back in his own body, even if was just a barely corporal spirit state.

"Ah shut up, you thought it was hilarious. How you ditch the old man?"

Achilles shrugged. "It's night. He's supposed to be in bed anyway. No one notices if his chest isn't exactly moving."

"Hm, just don't leave it for too long, it'll get grosser than it already is."

"What you even do with his old cat?"

"Yeeted it into the forest. Its an outdoor cat, I'm sure she's fine."

Shamu was not fine. Her fur was wet and matted, long claw marks down her legs and back. Her collar was in pieces, barely hanging on to her bruised neck. She limped through the thick weeds, sniffing around for other feral cats and potential meals. Oh how she missed the nights where she was properly groomed, with a brush and a bath and a hairdryer! Oh! That beautiful beast of a machine! I miss the human as well, she thought to herself as she trotted through the forest. He was nice, he kept me fed and brushed and would do that little beeping noise in dark rooms so he wouldn't step on me. He was a rather polite man wasn't he? As Shamu contemplated her life before all of this, her nose caught something familiar. She traced it was far as it would go, and was stricken with joy as she realized she'd come upon the teacher's lodging. Racing to the door she unsheathed her claws and scratched the main door mercilessly, meowing as high and loud as her little cat lungs would let her. "What the hell is that?" Said a voice from above as Dimac leaned out his window and saw her. "Oh you've got to be kidding me." Padding down the hall with her, Dimac knocked on Graff's door. "Your cat got out, and she looks really beat up."

The other did not answer.

"Graff!"

A quiet shuffling, and silence. Dimac looked around and noticed a small box on the floor. It was wooden and amazingly carved, almost as if someone spent years on it. The box moved.

"Uh, Graff? There a…well um…" The box jerked again, more violently this time, and Shamu arched herself towards it. "Shamu don't touch it." Now the box was on a roll, flailing and smacking into walls, going this way and that and never quite finding what it was looking for. A crash came from inside the room, and Dimac's head swiveled from the cat to the room to the box and back again. "Fuck it!" He squeaked, punting the box and slamming his shoulder into the door. "Oh what kind of shit show is this malarkey?"

Dink, completely ignoring the adult, slammed his spell book shut and thrust it into the pentagram. Streaks of light flew up, surrounding the book and Graff's lifeless body, causing Rose and Val to be flattened against the wall and Dimac to be sent crashing through Major Anderson's door. The box went absolutely nuts, barreling towards the body at top speeds. It launched itself through the light streams and landed squarely on top of the pentagram. A great whirlwind of magic shot up and scorched the ceiling, fire catching on the bed spread and the body lurching ominously.

"That should do it." Rose wheezed, falling of the wall and hacking as the smoke cleared. Valentine patted out most of the flames, Graff clutching the sides of the bed as he struggled to sit up. Blood dripped out of his mouth and down his lower lip, his entire body as though he'd just lurched back from death. Frantically he glanced from Dimac, to his cat, to the kids, and finally down to the runes below his bed. "Welcome back Colonel."

"What did you do?"

"An exorcism on top of a trapping spell." Dink said, picking up the remnants of the spell book. "Like it or not sir, you're stuck in that body, and nobody else can get in there."

"You fucking bastards."

"Oh, so shoving your soul back into your body was wrong?" Rose snipped.

"Do you understand how much magical force you just thrust out into the world? What things could do with that kind pure energy?"

"We covered our bases," Val placed the bed spread back down, smoothing out the edges. "the entire forest's been on lockdown. Its not that hard to spring a false alarm in there. Forest alarm means light bunkhouse lockdowns, so we're the only ones out."

"Graff, we did our homework. Anything that could use this type of magic is far from it." Rose said confidently, smirking. A hand grabbed his shoulders, Rose turning towards an irate Major Anderson. "Hello . Good night for a spell ey?" He smiled sheepishly.

"And you're going to stay in this room till I get some answers!" Anderson slammed the door, storming out in a righteous rage. Locking the door on the outside, she sighed and looked back up at her fellow chairmen. "Why didn't you fucking tell us?" She sneered at Graff, who just stared at his feet.

"I didn't think of that. Besides I was a box Gwen, a box!"

"You dumb motherfucker there are so many ways to tell us you're a box!"

"Who the fuck did I kiss?" Cham whispered.

"You kissed the little fucker!?" Graff clutched Cham's sides, eyes panicked.

"I guess?"

"Hell is real and I'm living in it."

"Um, excuse me?" Dimac yipped from the back of the pack. "Your cat sir."

"Shamu! Oh you poor little thing what happened to you?"

"Also, since you were the only one of us possessed, you seem to have the best chance of knowing where the hell Dap is." Graff's breath hitched.

"And your name again is?"

"Stilson. C'mon, just a little bit farther." Dap followed closely behind the young boy, several others following behind him. They'd started up a bit of a conga line of children, all eagerly whispering about the new stranger. There were a disturbing number of them that looked like his boss Cham. "Here."

"Hello Dap. When was the last time I saw you? You were only in my care for a year, and you were what, 7?"

"Mazer?"


	11. IM BACK

Dap took a seat across from the ghostly looking caretaker, who was just casually sipping his tea. His face had slipped from his memory years ago, but somehow Dap still recognized Mazer's odd complexion. Maybe the reason he looked so weary was because of electricity that crackled through his body, coursing through his veins and illuminating his tattoos. It was an office, a woman sitting directly across from Mazer behind a desk who occasionally scribbling something down before finally looking back up. "It is Dap, right?"

"Um, yes."

"Good to see you again! I haven't seen any of you since-" The woman shushed Mazer, who rolled his eyes but kept quiet.

"Good. Now let's see..." The lady bent down and pulled a book larger and thicker than Dap's head out from one of his drawers. Flipping through the pages, she stopped on the DA section and slowly searched the page. Her eyes darkened, and she grimaced as he came back up to look at Dap. "You're early James."

"Well it wasn't exactly my choice." He muttered.

"Hm? Why not?"

"Are you like the administrator around here or?"

"I have my few to look after, yes. Prem." Prem extended her hand, and Dap shook it, though it felt more like she was crushing it than offering a greeting. "And you're not supposed to die for another 40 or so years."

"Oh! I guess that's good to-Never mind that. You've got a breach."

"Oh please." Prem snorted. "The only person who might be able to get out of here is all these dead Cham's, and they can't agree on how to ride a bicycle. James, really, if you aren't going to tell me what happened I can just look it u-"

"Check Achilles."

"Excuse me?"

"The Flanderes boy. Check his name."

"Well I'd never! First Mazer, now you. I assure without a shadow of a doubt that boy is exactly where we left him to rot and nowhere else at—sweetheart don't touch that!" But it was too late. A Cham already had the book, and skipped right across the room, handing it to Mazer.

"I think your nephew likes me better Prem." Mazer said flatly, but his pleasure played on his mouth. Prem glared but took her seat and let Cham climb onto her lap anyway. "AC, AC, AC, Achilles...the book says he's living. I tried to tell you Prem but _no_ don't listen to _me_." Dap shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a Cham handing him a cookie.

"Why are there so many-?"

"My nephew?" Prem said quietly, mind elsewhere as she stared at Achilles' name. "Time powers, doomed timelines, you know how it is..."

"Oh." Dap mumbled as another Cham stole his cookie and was chased by the first.

"Now that you see that I'm not a liar, how about you ask Dap what Achilles' been up to." Mazer snipped. Prem's gaze turned rageful, but she turned towards the Fleet house caretaker.

"So." She snarled. "What _has_ he been up too?"

"Madrid!" Bonzo sleepily pattered across the Salamander common room, yawning as he unlocked the door and opened it. Ms. Anderson quickly pushed past him, marching through the bunkhouse with the Spaniard hot on her tail.

"Hey um," He muttered drowsily. "Why are you here? It's like, 4 in the morning, and aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"I was sleeping! At least, until the sibling of a certain student of ours sent a wooden box hurtling through my door." She cooed with sarcastic cheery-ness. Anderson stopped at Peter's door and banged on it. "Wiggin!"

"What?" Peter stuck only his head out, hair wild and eyes tired. He looked up at Anderson, back at his prefect, and began to sweat. "Is everything alright ma'am?"

"Ask your sister!" Anderson grinned. "She's the one setting off false alarms and performing magic on administrators!" Peter looked baffled towards Bonzo, but he just shook his head. "Put some pants on Wiggin. We've got questions."

"You know people like you make me glad Peter's on the right side of the road around here." Dink grimaced, pushing his face against the glass that kept him from punching Bonzo. Peter sat in a chair behind him and stared at his sister, waiting for any sign whatever she had done was weighing on her. So far, it wasn't. "All the shady shit you Rat kids get up too."

"Oh yeah," Dink hissed. "Like you haven't been bullying half the campus since age 8."

"I keep things _in line._ All you do is create chaos for the sake of it."

"We _fixed_ Graff."

"That's fixed? Tired, scorched, and angry?"

"It's better than _possessed!"_ Bonzo opened his mouth to spit something back, but Cham shooed him along, opening the door and motioning for Peter to head inside. He went, hardly breaking eye contact with Val, still searching for a hint of remorse. Val just pulled out the seat next to her, patting it.

"This won't take long." Muttered the chairman. "As long as you don't make this hard on yourselves, you might escape with your hands still intact." He closed the door and headed down the hall.

"Hands?" Val asked.

"They have handcuffs." Rose growled. "They go around your wrists, and you can't do magic."

"So what do you do in your classes?"

"Write essays until they decide you're a good noodle again."

"Oh."

"You do realize you're in trouble, right?" Peter piped up.

"So?"

"You've sobbed when you accidently knocked over a stuffed animal tower and thought the teacher was going to freak. Yet now, with the entire administration breathing down your neck, you're quiet. So, I'll ask again. You do realize how fucked you are, right?"

"Brother, I wouldn't expect you to understand the complexities of my existence, but it was you who said it would be better to do something and get in trouble than sit complacent no? Back when we had our little game on the nets?"

"Don't mention that!" Peter snapped. "That only failed because you couldn't keep it under control."

"I don't know how you did when someone was blatantly advocating for magical person genocide right in front of you!"

"It's called _debate!"_

"No, it's called yelling fire in a crowded theater!"

"This exactly how you reacted when Ender killed Sti-"

"Enough!" Graff's voice echoed through the small chamber, Val and Peter immediately falling silent. "Well, good to see you two are contemplating the consequences of your actions." His gaze fell on the others, who returned his baleful gaze tenfold. "Val and Peter, you may leave. Turns out we won't be needing Mr. Wiggin's help, and Ms. Wiggin will get off easy. With a month's night detention. Every day, after classes, till the halfway through December." Val just nodded, the two quickly exiting before Graff could change his mind.

"What about us?" Dink mumbled. "Gonna cuff us?"

"No." Graff hissed.

"No?"

"No. You'll be spending all your minutes outside of class or not asleep in suspension where you are going to help us wrangle Achilles. Then we'll cuff you." Both groaned, but didn't protest. They shuffled out with little more than a grumble, and Graff returned to the others.

"Do you think we're being hard on them?" He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No. This is simply how it must be." Anderson mumbled back. "We've faced worse than this. The sooner we wrangle him, the sooner we go back to normal."

Achilles watched as the comets flew overhead, wondering if it was about time to start making his way back to the old man. Yet, one comet caught his eye. It was purple instead of white, and seemed to be getting closer.

Too close.

Achilles yelped and began scattering backwards. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" He tore through the forest, but the comet chased him along the sky, till eventually Achilles tripped. "No!" It hurtled into the tree line and crashed right onto him. The most odd sensation filled his body. Like a thousand tiny lights, full of fire were invading him, slowly burning him as he writhed on the forest floor. Then nothing at all. But everything felt a little more real, a little more perfect. The sun rose upon Fleethouse, and Achilles stared into its glory and began to cackle.


	12. Rising ashes

"Peter, look. You can hang out with your siblings all you want, but I don't want you around those Rat kids. I meant what I said about them causing nothing but chaos." Peter just nodded and continued on his essay for Advanced anatomy. He had been nervous about starting the class due to his lack of interest in the sciences, but upon attending he realized it was more about sitting the children down and telling them that having two spines was fine and completely sustainable by their bodies. Of course, he'd never questioned whether or not his body was acceptable, but the reassurance about his gills was…somewhat welcome. Bonzo constantly ranting about how much he hated the Rat kids was not. "I mean, what they did was practically assault! Take this as an order from your prefect Peter. Don't ever lose your standards for what's expected of a bunkhouse."

"Bon please. I'm trying to concentrate."

"I know, I know. I'll be on the roof." And with that he was gone. Peter sighed and tossed his books aside. He needed to talk to someone not involved with this whole mess, indirectly or otherwise.

"Petra! Is Ender around?" Petra stuck her head out the birdcage like structure of the Phoenix windows and grinned, opening one and sitting on the ledge.

"Nah. He went off with his friends again." She yelled back down.

"The centipede ones?"

"Only Shen's from centipede but yes technically. Why you looking for him anyway?"

"Just wanted to check in." Petra's grin only widened, and Peter began to sweat, but in a different, much worse way than he had the night before.

"I remember you,"

"I'd hoped otherwise."

"Yeah, yeah, you're that kid whose joined at the hip with Madrid! From Ender's first dinner? What, you get tired of bossing kids around and being high and mighty?"

"No, I just…wanted to make sure Ender's alright! Not every day you learn you can just control the elements with a snap of your fingers."

"Well he learned that a month ago, and he's been doing pretty well since so…something tells me you wanted a break from something else. Someone else."

"Now." Peter growled. "What's your beef with Bonzo?" He didn't want to come off as nasty, but this was the boy he loved after all.

"Well I used to be an old bunkie of his, back when they were fixing up Phoenix from magical fight night. We were supposed to be on good old equal footing but it was obvious _he_ was in charge, and no one could say otherwise. I hear Rat's in a heap of trouble? You'll see that start to come back out of him. Just you wait."

"That isn't like him," Peter mumbled. "at least not like him now."

"What?"

"He's changed!"

"He's softened." Petra snorted, hooking her feet into the window bars and scaling down the building's side. "But the moment he thinks someone else in the camp might be coming for his place at the top, he's all teeth." She landed at Peter's side and both studied the other for a moment. "But ya know, I don't see that in you. _You_ _seem_ to have a drop of decency. Just don't let Madrid push you about ey'?"

"Ey." Petra laughed, and Peter realized he'd done it wrong. He flushed in embarrassment, but Petra just slapped his back and walked off.

"I'll shoot you an email after classes if Ender comes straight home tonight, but I'll warn you, he usually doesn't!" And with that, two wings of bright scarlet feathers thrust themselves out of her shirt and up she went, far over Peter's head and into the sunny horizon. Peter stumbled through classes that day and into Salamander Bunk that night.

"Petra has wings." He said, flopping down onto the couch.

"You didn't know that?" Bonzo asked, flicking the hair out of Peter's eyes with his pencil.

"She can fly."

"Um, hence the wings?" Peter just chuckled and started into his homework. "Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen with you and Petra?"

"No, no, I just went looking for Ender and we talked for a bit that's all." Bonzo nodded. But slowly his head swiveled towards Phoenix and his face curled into a disgusting grimace.

"No No pin drop" Ender 's head swiveled around the tiny art closet, eventually settling his gaze on a lanky teenager with hair in his eyes and a tiefling cat mix in his arms. "Haha, um, hi?" Ender leaned out and checked to make sure the teacher was preoccupied, then got down on his knees.

"Are they friendly?" He cooed, the cat leaning into his hands as he pet it.

"You tell me." The other giggled.

"You're not supposed to have pets you know."

"It's not safe for Pin drop back home." They muttered. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

"What? No, no. But you probably should get out of this closet. Hand me the paints?" They tossed him the paints, and Ender winked before scurrying back into the room.

Achilles breathed a sigh of relief and snuggled Pinual into his jacket. Then he bolted out of the art room back towards the forest before laughing Pinual into the pond like a rocket. "WHAT THE FUCK PINAUL!" Pinual just screamed and tore off into the other direction. Achilles growled and took off behind him. "It's me you idiot!" Pinual kept going, not bothering to look back. Achilles, however, was faster (and taller), catching Pinual within in minutes.

"Pinual!" He was blubbering again. Pinual didn't cry, he blubbered with big fat tears that rolled down his checks barely long enough for one to even notice he was crying in the first place. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry, I know I should've been watching Graff but instead I was off fucking around and now you can't get back into his body and the eclipse plan is all fucked up I'm sorry!" The boy under him shrieked. Achilles pulled back and rested on his knees. What to do, what to do? He could let Pinual think he was still mad at him, leaving him vulnerable but ultimately operating at poor performance for fear of fucking up. So Achilles took the high road.

"Shhh, shush up little one." He pulled his sleeve up and wiped off Pinual's face. He sat him up, dried off his arms and held him close. "Feel that? That's me. A solid me." Pinual grabbed Achilles' wrists, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"H-how? And when? You've been gone for a week!"

"Wandering around, making myself a familiar presence. And while yes, you should've been watching over the old man, we're still on track."

"Okay. I just…I just got really scared you were going to be mad and I-" Achilles shushed him again and trapped Pinual in a tight hug.

"Don't be afraid of me Pin. We're in this together. For my body and your life remember?"

"Yeah," Pinual shifted, Achilles' nails digging into his back. "yeah."


End file.
